Don't Let Me Go
by wonderswiftly
Summary: Ginny's POV- It's over a year past the Battle of Hogwarts. Ginny still has feelings for Harry. He's with Cho, but doesn't seem to be happy. Once the two are together again, will dark forces threaten to tear them apart? Rated M for adult themes later on. (On hiatus)
1. Denial and Confession

DENIAL AND CONFESSION

I couldn't believe it was my seventeenth birthday. I could finally use magic whenever I wanted to. Everything seemed so quiet. I looked out my window. At least it was nice today. I just couldn't stop thinking about _him_. And by him I mean Harry. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get him off my mind. Maybe I still had feelings for him, but I couldn't have. He already moved on with Cho. I didn't like him and Cho together, but I would never admit that to him. Harry was my friend after all and one of my best friends. I sighed, got out of bed, and put some clothes on. I just wanted to stay in bed all day, and think. But I know if I did that, Mum or someone would come up and tell me to come down. It's one of the down sides to your birthday- all the attention is on you. I walked down the two flights of stairs to the kitchen and not to my surprise, I saw Mum making my favorite breakfast like she does every year on my birthday.

"Ah! There's my birthday girl. Happy birthday, dear," Mum said with a warm smile and pulled me into a hug.

"Thanks, Mum," I said smiling and hugging her back. She pulled away and walked over to the stove.

"Well, I made you your favorite breakfast, dear. I know you love pancakes and bacon," she said smiling, while putting the food on the table. I sat down, looking at the bacon. I was so hungry, I felt like Ron right at that moment, wanting to eat every last crumb.

"Yeah it's always been my favorite. Thanks so much, Mum," I said and grabbed a pancake and piece of bacon to put on my plate. "So where's everyone else?"

"Ron and Harry are at work. They should be along soon. George has to work all day and, unfortunately, he can't make it today. He wanted me to wish you a happy birthday, dear," Mum said with a little smile.

"Oh, okay. That's fine," I said. I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't see George on my birthday. Some things just don't work out and I had to accept that. After all, he was probably still getting over the loss of Fred. All of us were. They were practically attached by the hip. They did everything together. For George, it was like losing half of himself. He was probably hurting twice as much as the rest of us were. I almost sighed, thinking about all of it, and then Hermione walked in.

"Happy birthday, Ginny!" she said with a big smile and hugged me, then sat down beside me.

"Thanks, Hermione," I said smiling, and then ate a piece of bacon.

"This looks so good, as always, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said looking at all the food, and then taking a pancake and some bacon for herself.

"Thank you, Hermione," Mum said and smiled. "And you can call me, Molly. After all, you're going to be part of this family soon."

Hermione smiled at her and said, "Thank you again, Mrs. - I mean Molly." She cut her pancake and then ate a piece.

"You're welcome, Hermione," Mum said. "Well, if you two girls excuse me, I have some things I have to do. And dear," she said smiling at me, "Happy birthday again." She walked out of the room, leaving just Hermione and I sitting at the table, eating breakfast.

"So how does it feel to be seventeen now?" Hermione asked laughing a bit.

"I don't feel any different," I said taking another piece of bacon to put on my plate. "There is a down side to my birthday every year."

"And what is that?" she asked curiously.

"Ron," I said and laughed. "I bet I won't even get one piece of my own birthday cake. He'll just inhale the whole thing!"

Hermione laughed with me. "That's so true! I love Ron to death, but he doesn't need to take a second look before he eats everything he lays his eyes on."

"Hm, I'll tell my brother you said that," I said smirking.

"Let's just forget I said that, okay?" Hermione said still laughing.

"Okay. Whatever you say," I said and ate a piece of my pancake.

The two of us just sat there in silence for a while, eating. Once in a while, when Hermione wasn't paying attention, I looked at her. Everyone had been going through hard times after the Battle of Hogwarts. She had a difficult situation. The only reason she was even here right now was because her parents were still lost in Australia somewhere. She erased their memories to protect them and had no idea where to find them now. The only thing that was really holding her together was Ron. Sometimes it made me jealous to see what they had. It was clear that both of them were completely in love with each other. If anyone had to marry my brother, it should be Hermione. While I was deep in thought, she stood up and put her plate in the sink.

"Well, I better go check on Crookshanks," she said looking as if she was trying to get her mind off something. "Do you mind?"

"No. Not at all. I don't want your cat to be moody on my birthday," I said teasingly, and she laughed.

"That's true. I'll make sure that doesn't happen," she said and left the room, leaving me alone. Great, here I was on my birthday, sitting alone with nothing but pancakes and bacon. I thought about him again. It's almost like I can't stop thinking about him. No matter how hard I try, he's always on my mind. As if it were on cue, I heard a knock on the door. I got up and walked over to the door to open it.

It was Harry.

"Oh, hi, Harry," I said smiling.

"Happy birthday, Ginny!" Harry said with a huge smile on his face, and then hugged me.

"Thanks, Harry," I said smiling just as big and hugging him back. It felt so good, so right to be in his arms at that moment. I never wanted to pull away. What was I thinking? I had to stop thinking like this. I pulled away, realizing we were hugging longer than we should be.

"So, um, where's Ron?" I asked trying to hide the look on my face.

"Oh, he had to stay later. He'll be back later, don't worry," Harry said, and then looked as if he just remembered something. "And by the way, Ginny, I got you something for your birthday, Well, two things actually." Two? Why did he get me two?

"Harry, you really didn't have to get me anything-"

He cut me off by handing me a box and saying, "Just open it, Ginny." I opened the box and found a cake that said 'Happy Birthday Ginny!'

"Oh, Harry, thank you so much!" I said smiling and was about to hug him before he cut me off again.

"No hug yet," Harry said laughing a bit. "I have the second present, remember?" He reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a rose, and then handed it to me. "I'm sorry. It looked better before it was in my jacket-"I cut him off by hugging him tightly.

"I love it so much. Thank you, Harry," I said with a big smile.

"I'm glad you like it, Ginny. Happy birthday," he repeated smiling while hugging me. I pulled away and looked into his green eyes. Why couldn't I stop thinking about him? I couldn't let this go on. He moved on and so should I. The problem was that I can't…

"Yes I really do love it. I love both of them," I said smiling.

"That's good," Harry said with a smile that faded, and then he looked down.

"Are you okay Harry?" I asked.

He looked up again and said, "Yeah, I'm fine." He smiled a bit.

"Are you sure? You know you can tell me if something's wrong. You don't have to hide it just because it's my birthday," I said looking at him a bit worried.

Harry looked at me unsure, as if he didn't know whether he should tell or not, and finally said, "Well it's just about…" He paused for a moment, and then continued, "…Cho."

Cho? What could be wrong with him and Cho? As much as I didn't like them together, they seemed so happy.

"What do you mean? Is she okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, she's fine. At least I think so. I don't really know. That's the problem actually," Harry said looking down again. "I haven't heard from her in a week. She would've told me if something happened."

"I see. So, you're worried about her?" I said trying to hide my envy.

"Well not only that, but I feel like…" He paused and then continued, "I feel like she doesn't have feelings for me anymore," he said and looked down again.

"Oh, Harry. I'm sure that's not true at all. Cho loves you. I can tell, trust me," I said with a comforting smile.

"But how do you know?" Harry asked and sighed. "I'm sorry, Ginny. I didn't want to put this all on you when it's your birthday. Maybe I should just go." He was about to walk over to the door, but then I rushed over in front of him and stood in front of the door.

"You aren't going anywhere," I said with a smile. "It's my birthday and I want you here. If it helps, you've probably made me the happiest so far today."

Harry smiled and took my hand. "I'm glad to hear that."

I looked down at both of our hands, then back up. "I'm always here for you, Harry. Always."

He looked at me smiling still, and then pulled me into a hug. "I'll always be here for you, too." I hugged him back. This really was the happiest feeling I felt all day. It's what I was missing. I wanted to stay in this moment forever. I felt at home when I was in his arms. It was greater than anything I ever felt. Well, second greatest…

"Oh and by the way, Ginny. I wanted to tell you…" Harry said and then continued, "I don't know if I have feelings for her anymore either."


	2. The Secret

THE SECRET

Harry. That's all I could ever think about now. Why didn't he love Cho anymore? They always seemed so happy. What even happened to her? She shouldn't be ignoring him like that. I know if I were his girlfriend, I would be doing anything but ignoring him. What was I thinking? I had to stop thinking like that. Harry and I would never be together again. He thought of me as just a friend and nothing more. Not that there was a problem with that. I loved being his friend. I just knew that deep down, that wasn't enough for me. I tried to move on when we broke up, but I couldn't get him off my mind. Was I in love? I couldn't be….

"Hello? Gin Gin!"

My best friend, Jenny, brought me back to earth. I had almost forgotten that we were in Hogsmeade together. She wanted to take me shopping on my birthday. To be honest, I wasn't that in to shopping, but it was just fun to be with Jenny. She's one of those people who could replace the sun in the sky and it would make no difference. Jenny was always happy, and she's the one person I could always trust with anything.

"Sorry. I was zoning out," I said, and obviously she wanted to know why.

"What were you thinking about?" she asked, nudging my arm. What was I supposed to tell her? I wouldn't even tell my best friend that I still had feelings for Harry. I didn't even know if I still did. He's all that I ever thought about. That doesn't mean I still like him right? Jenny could always see right through me. She probably already knew what I was thinking about, but just wanted me to admit it. I had to think of a good lie. Lying was something I had always been good at. I don't know if that's good or bad, but it came in handy for me. The only problem was that Jenny was the one person who could always tell when I was lying. I came up with the best thing that I could.

"I'm just a little sad that I won't get to see George today. I miss him." I thought that was a good thing to say. It wasn't completely a lie after all. It just wasn't even close to what I was thinking about.

"I'm sorry, Gin Gin. Who knows? Maybe you will see him today," she said hopefully and gave me a comforting smile.

"Yeah, maybe." Why couldn't I just tell her that I still have feelings for him? It's not like she would go and tell him. I trust her more than anyone. I shouldn't tell her. I'm not even sure how I feel about him. This seemed like a stupid thing to be so lost about. Who wouldn't know if they liked someone or not? I guess I'm the first.

"So, were you thinking about Harry at all?" Jenny asked teasingly, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"What? Why would you think that?" I used to be so much better at lying. It's so hard to lie to her not only because she could see right through me, but she was my best friend. Who keeps secrets from their best friend? Again, I guess I'm the first.

"Oh, come on, Ginny! Look me straight in the eyes and tell me that you don't still have feelings for him," she said smirking. I couldn't lie straight to her face. What was I supposed to do? I couldn't even answer that because I didn't know the answer myself. I envied anyone who could easily figure out if they were in love with someone or not because I had no clue. This was probably the hardest thing I would ever do in my life, but I looked her straight in the eyes.

"I don't have feelings for him."

She laughed when I said that, probably not believing a word I just said. I couldn't blame her. That was the worst lie I ever told. I knew it right then. I was still completely in love with Harry. That's why I thought about him every second. That's why it hurt inside to see him and Cho together. That's why I wanted to be more than just friends again.

"That's the worst lie I ever heard in my life!" Jenny said and couldn't stop laughing.

"I'm not lying. I don't have feelings for him." With every word I spoke, it brought me to realize even more that she was right. I was finally admitting to myself that I still have feelings for Harry Potter. I was in love, and no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn't stop.

"Please, Ginny. You're so in love with him. You always have been," she said as if she were the thoughts in my head speaking to me. "If it helps at all, Harry still has feelings for you too."

I could feel my heart stop.

"What?" was all that I managed to ask. That couldn't be true. It just couldn't. He was so happy with Cho. Well, until yesterday that is. Jenny just had to be messing with me. This would only happen in my dreams, and maybe not even then. It seemed too impossible to even be spoken words.

"What do you mean 'what?'?" Jenny said, mimicking me. "Yeah, it's true. He comes to me for help. He has no idea what to do; he's lost." After she said that, she immediately covered her mouth, realizing something. "I probably shouldn't be telling you all of this."

She had to be messing with me. Why would Harry still have feelings for me? I just didn't believe it for one second. "You're making this up, right?"

"I shouldn't say anything else, but yes. It is true," she said still looking guilty for even saying anything. Her words were like a slap across the face, bringing me into reality. Jenny wouldn't lie to me. "So you do love him, don't you?" she asked me.

I groaned. I don't know why I just couldn't tell her that I like him. I knew it was wrong. That's why. He had a girlfriend that loved him, and he loved her. At least that's what I thought before today. I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Harry still had feelings for me. It seemed to good to be true. "For the last time, I don't! Harry and I are just really good friends," I said, trying to reassure myself more than anyone.

Jenny gave me a look of disbelief, crossing her arms, and shook her head. "Yeah, I'm sure that's true, Ginny," she said sarcastically. Damn it, the girl could see right through me! That's what you get for having a really close best friend. I couldn't take this anymore. I just couldn't. I had to say it no matter how much I wanted to hold it in. Somehow, I managed to keep my mouth shut about it and said something else instead.

"Where should we go now?"

After a few hours, Jenny and I got tired of shopping. I knew from the look in her eyes that she still wasn't letting the subject of Harry go. To be honest, neither was I. I admitted to myself that I still had feelings for him. I was in love, completely in love. I explained to Jenny that I wasn't going home yet. I just wanted to stay for a few more minutes. I assured her that I was fine, and she left. I sighed, looking around at all the people. At least I wasn't alone. I still wished that _he_ was here. He's still the one that's made me the happiest today. Whatever I did, I couldn't let him know that I was in love with him.

All the sudden, I saw someone that I wasn't expecting to see right then, walking over to me, but looking down.

"Harry?"

Harry looked up, probably hearing me say his name. "Ginny? What are you doing here? I mean, it's nice to see you again-" I laughed, cutting him off.

"It's good to see you again too, Harry," I said with a smile, then hugged him without thinking about it. I was just so happy to see him. It's like everything feels right just when he's standing right here with me. We stood there, hugging each other, and then finally, I pulled away smiling.

"Well, that was an enthusiastic greeting," he said and we both laughed. God, I loved that laugh so much. I couldn't help but smile every time I heard him laugh. I didn't know how much longer I could hold it in anymore. I wanted to scream that I loved him, but I didn't. I couldn't tell him, not when he was with Cho. I didn't know if I could even tell him if he was single…

"Well, it's still your birthday. How about I buy you a butterbeer," he offered with a smile. I smiled back. Why would I even say no to that? The answer is I can't.

"Race you to the Three Broomsticks!" I challenged smirking and ran off without looking behind me. I remembered the look on his face as I ran away, and I could hear him running behind me. There was just something so amazing about this moment. I didn't know what it was. It must have just been the fact that I was here with Harry. Nothing else mattered.

"Ginny! Wait!" he called running behind me. He was just so damn cute. I knew if I looked behind me, I would lose all my senses. He always had that effect on me. If I wanted to get there first, I couldn't look behind me no matter what.

Just then, I heard something or someone fall. Harry. I heard him make a grunting sound from behind me, and then I stopped running and turned around. Sure enough, there he was on the ground, holding his leg. Damn it! This was all my fault. I shouldn't have challenged him to a race. We should've just walked to the Three Broomsticks.

"Ginny!" Harry grunted and winced in pain. I rushed over to him without another thought. This was all my fault. Why was I so stupid? He reached out his hand for help, still holding his leg, and I took it. I started to pull him up as I apologized.

"Harry! I'm so sorry. This was my fault, I-"

Before I even pulled him all the way up, Harry was already pulling himself up with a smirk on his face.

"I'll see you there, Ginny," he teased and ran off, leaving me standing there in shock for a second before I ran after him. Wow, he was good. I can't believe I fell for that. I never fell for stuff like that. I ran fast, eventually catching up to him. Harry looked over at me, still running.

"Oh, no you don't!" he said breathing heavy, trying to run ahead of me.

"Face it, Harry. I was always faster than you!" I teased, and then apparated in front of him, making him run right into me.

"Now you're just cheating Gin Gin," he complained, but still smiled and took my hand in his. It sounded cute when he used Jenny's nickname for me.

The two of us walked the rest of the way to the Three Broomsticks, hand in hand. I was smiling like an idiot and couldn't stop. There's only one thing that could've made this moment even better…

We entered the Three Broomsticks and looked around for an open table so sit down at. I couldn't imagine a better way to spend my seventeenth birthday than being with Harry. Although, I would never admit that to him. I woke up this morning expecting this to just be any other birthday, but it seemed like Harry was trying to make it more than that. I mean, I'm sure everyone was. But there was something special about being with Harry today. Then again, there's something special about being with him any day. Nothing felt more right than being by his side.

"Okay. You choose where we sit birthday girl," Harry said and smiled. "I'll do anything you want just for your birthday." Wow, anything? This should be good if I could make him do anything. A smirk came across my face as I thought about what I could make him do, and then shook it off.

"Let's sit over there," I said pointing to a table over in the corner.

We sat down at the table I pointed at opposite each other. I couldn't stop thinking about what Jenny had told me earlier. Was Harry really still in love with me? That couldn't be true. I mean, it doesn't seem like it. I wonder if I hid my feelings from him that well. As far as I knew, I think I was keeping it a secret pretty good. He didn't seem like he had a clue as to how I felt about him.

The waiter came over to our table and asked for our orders. Harry asked for a butterbeer for each of us, and then looked at me as the waiter left to get our drinks.

"So how's your birthday been so far, Gin Gin?" Harry asked smiling at me.

"It's been great," I said smiling back at him. We just sat there talking to each other for a while, waiting for the butterbeers. We talked about everything from his work at the Ministry to Quidditch, but he never once admitted that what Jenny said was true. He probably didn't even know that she told me. It's not that I didn't trust Jenny, I just wanted to hear it from Harry himself because he was the only one who could say if it was true or not. I mean, my best friend wouldn't lie to me, would she? Maybe she made it up so I could get my hopes up. Jenny wouldn't do that to me, but she could. The fierce battle in my head was broken up when Harry spoke again as the waiter brought us the drinks.

"How about we play a Quidditch match sometime," he offered challengingly.

"Fine, but you're going to lose," I teased with a smirk on my face.

"You're so sure about that, aren't you? We're going to need more people," he pointed out. We sat there, thinking about who could be on the teams, while drinking our butterbeers. Ron, of course, could play with us. Hermione was another option, but we both admitted that she wouldn't be much help when it came to Quidditch. After a while, we decided to think about the teams later and finished our drinks. Then we changed to the subject of getting whatever I want for my birthday.

"Could I have some napkins, please?" I asked him smiling.

"Whatever you say, Gin Gin," he answered and stood up to go get some napkins. As he was walking over, we both saw something unbelievable.

"Can I have another beer, please?" Ron said at the bar in a slurry voice.


	3. Trouble in Hogsmeade

TROUBLE IN HOGSMEADE

What the hell did Ron think he was doing? When did he even get here anyway? He was supposed to come home earlier for my birthday, and now I saw him here drinking way more beer than he needed. How could he be that stupid? I mean, I always knew that Ron wasn't the smartest person around, but I never thought he would stoop that low. Where was Hermione when you need her? She never would have let him do what he was doing right now. I stood up looking at Ron, then at Harry. I must have had the same face he had on. The two of us confronted Ron as he got another glass of beer.

"Just what do you think you're doing, Ron?" I said with a tone of anger in my voice. I was more sad and disappointed than anything else. Why wouldn't I be? He may be my older brother, but I would still look after him. Ron stood up, probably wanting to know who said his name. Seeing his face as he turned around was too much. He looked like he was sick, really sick. His face was hollow and sullen, with his eyes dropping as a result from all the alcohol he drank. How could he do this to himself?

"You!" Ron said, standing up and pointing his finger at me as if I was the one doing something wrong here. "You better get out of here!"

_I _should get out of here? I wasn't the one drinking too much beer. How many glasses of beer did he even have? It had to be at least ten the way he was acting. Harry looked just as lost as I was.

"What are you talking about? Really Ron, how many beers have you had, mate?" he asked Ron, sounding really concerned and mad at the same time. They were best friends after all. This had to be hurting him as much as it was hurting me, and maybe even more. "Ginny and I came here for her birthday. She shouldn't have to go anywhere."

"Oh, shut up, Harry!" Ron snapped, making Harry and I flinch. "Ginny needs to get the hell out of here before I make her!" I could feel my eyes widen when he took out his wand. However many glasses of beer made him this way, he should never have a drop of it again. "I can shoot a spell any second if I want to so you better get out of here!" he yelled. God, I couldn't believe him right now.

"Ron, stop it! You don't know what you're doing!" I cried.

"I think I do know what I'm doing!" he yelled back, pointing his wand at me. The bar attendant panicked, seeing the arising action scene and asked the three of us to leave. As mad as I was, I couldn't blame him. After we were kicked out of the Three Broomsticks, we followed Ron down an alleyway. I really didn't want to follow my drunken brother somewhere that no people were around, but we couldn't just leave him like that.

"Look Ron, I don't know how many glasses of beer you had, but you can't hurt Ginny. She's your sister," Harry pointed out.

"I thought I told you to shut up, Harry! I could always kill both of you!" Ron threatened pointing his wand at the both of us. Kill? He wouldn't really kill Harry and me, would he? He can't be that drunk. I couldn't bring myself to believe that he would really kill us. Harry pulled out his wand for defense, and I followed. Then he stood between the two of us.

"I don't know what you both think you're doing, but Ginny, I swear I'm going to kill you! Harry seems to care about you the most!" Ron exclaimed, looking like he could've shot the curse any second now. Every word he said was a shock to me. What was I going to do? I didn't want to make this into a duel with my own brother. Harry looked like he was about to say something but I cut in, moving to stand beside him.

"Look Ron, I'm your sister. I know you wouldn't kill me. This whole thing is just stupid. You're just too drunk to even see that."

"She's right, Ron. You just need to snap out of it. You wouldn't really kill me or Ginny. You're not like that, mate," Harry said, putting his wand back in his pocket, still looking at Ron cautiously.

Then it just happened. I didn't know what made him do it, but it happened. I guess he just couldn't take it anymore.

He shot the curse directly at my chest.

If I hadn't seen him raise his wand, I probably wouldn't be alive. But I dodged it in just enough time for it to hit the wall of the alleyway. If I was just an inch closer, I would've been dead. Just one inch and I wouldn't be breathing right now. I didn't think he would really do it, even when he was that drunk. The past few seconds seemed too impossible to me. My brother almost killed me. There's something I never thought I could say, but it almost just happened. I was so shocked at that moment. I would've started shaking, but I was too shocked to even do that. I tried to hold everything in that I was feeling. I took a glance at Harry. He looked just as shocked as I must have been. He was probably thinking the same thing: Ron would never kill his own sister, but just a few moments ago, it almost happened. Harry looked as if he wanted to say something, but I cut him off. I was just too damn furious right now, but shaken at the same time.

"I can't believe you, Ron! You really tried to kill your own sister! You know what? You really made this a great birthday. The best, in fact," I exclaimed, being completely sarcastic. I could feel the tears building in my eyes, but I didn't cry. Instead of saying something else, I didn't say anything at all. Harry confronted Ron, getting right in his face, with a murderous look on his face, a look I had never seen him wear before.

"If you ever do that again, I'll fucking kill you," he threatened, sounding serious with every word that came out of his mouth.

My mouth dropped open. Was Harry drunk too? He couldn't be, but I've never seen him that angry. At least, not to someone that he cared about. Was I all alone here and they were both going crazy? I wasn't afraid of Harry, but I was afraid that something was wrong. Ron didn't look like he was getting better In fact, the way Harry was acting probably made him worse. So instead of just standing there and letting them possibly kill each other, I pushed my way in between them.

"Okay. Now both of you guys are going crazy," I pointed out looking at Ron, then at Harry. I could just catch him staring at me before he looked down, and I thought I saw his face turn a shade of pink. I didn't know what was going on with him, but Harry wasn't acting like himself.

"You're right, Ginny," Harry admitted with a sigh. "I'm sorry. Ron and I probably ruined your birthday."

"Yeah, I'm sorry for being a jerk on your birthday, sis," Ron added, sighing as well. "I don't know what got into me. I'm sorry."

"You just had a little too much beer, Ron," I laughed. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're okay now." I hugged him tightly, looking over his shoulder at Harry. He looked as if he was deep in thought about something important, but he smiled at me, probably trying to hide the pensive look on his face. I pulled away from Ron, and then smiled back at Harry. I wanted to hug him so bad right at that moment.

"By the way, happy birthday, sis."

I couldn't help but laugh when Ron said that. He had been drunk for the past half hour and was now sober enough to wish me a happy birthday.

"You're lucky I'm not telling your fiancé about this," I teased, smirking. He would get his ass whipped for sure if Hermione knew about this.

"Bloody hell! Please don't tell Hermione. Please," begged Ron, making Harry start to laugh. He then turned to him and demanded, "Oh, shut up, Harry!"

"Sorry," said Harry, still laughing a bit, and then stopped.

"Well, speaking of Hermione, I better get back to the Burrow," said Ron with a yawn. He definitely must've been tired after all that drinking.

"What are you going to tell her?" I asked.

Ron shrugged and said, "I'll just tell her I had to stay a bit later at work."

"You better be convincing, mate," Harry suggested. "It's not that easy to lie to her."

"You think I don't know that?" Ron groaned, rolling his eyes. "I'll see you guys later," he said, and then disapparated. We watched him leave, laughing, and then Harry turned to me as our laughing faded.

"I'm sorry about Ron," said Harry, leaving no evidence of his laughing before. "You're okay though, right? I was really scared for a second," he admitted. I could see a look of worry still in his eyes that had probably been there ever since Ron almost got me.

"I'm fine Harry, really," I assured him with a smile. "He just had too much to drink. We better make sure that doesn't happen again."

"Yeah," he said, looking down.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I have to tell you something, Ginny…"


	4. Pure Magic

PURE MAGIC

My head was spinning with ideas of what Harry was about to tell me. It had to be something about Cho or maybe what Jenny told me earlier. What else could it have been? Maybe it was both. I was hoping it was the second one. No matter how good it seemed to be true, I wanted it to be real. I wanted him to feel the same way I did about him. Breaking out of my thoughts, I asked him, "What do you have to tell me?

"Well, um…" Harry trailed off with a nervous look on his face. I could feel my heart skipping beats. Maybe my hopes were just too high.

"What is it, Harry?"

He looked up at me, looking as if he was trying to find the right words. "Um, it's just…I…"

I took his hand in mine for comfort. "You can tell me anything Harry."

He looked down at our hands, as if the gesture made him snap out of his mood, and then looked back up at my face, smiling. "It's nothing really."

"Are you sure?" I asked, not wanting to let it go.

"I'm sure. It's nothing," he said and then continued, "I'm sorry. I guess I'm losing it after that whole Ron incident." I knew he was still hiding something. I wanted to know so badly, but I let it go so I wouldn't bother him.

"Okay, if you're sure," I said. I didn't want to let this go. I really wanted to know what he was going to say. I hated not knowing something. Maybe if I asked him about what Jenny told me? But if it was true, he could not admit it. I had to at least try. I could always tell when he was lying, anyway.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," answered Harry. "What is it, Ginny?"

"Well, um, Jenny told me something," I said nervously. "I just want to know if it's really true."

Harry froze after I said that. He looked completely lost, not knowing what to say. I wish I could know what he was thinking right now.

"What did she tell you?" he asked, looking really nervous.

"Um, she just told me that, um," I stammered, trying to find the right words. "She told me that she was giving you advice because you like me." I rushed when I was saying it, afraid that it wasn't even true, but he looked down, his face turning the same shade of pink it was earlier.

"That's what I wanted to tell you," he confessed, and then looked up again. "I still have feelings for you, Ginny. I always have."

I wanted to kiss him right at that moment, but I couldn't no matter how much I wanted to. Instead, I smiled at him.

"I still have feelings for you, too, Harry," I admitted. "I never stopped, even when you got back together with Cho."

At this, Harry smiled, too, as if these were the words he had wanted to hear all day, but then it faded. "What are we going to do, Gin Gin?" I watched his face turn to sadness, the same look he had when he told me about Cho earlier. I pulled him into a hug. He was right. What were we going to do? Cho had not talked to him in over a week. If something had gone wrong, she would've told him. Who knows when she would come back from whatever she was doing? I would wait if I had to. I had been waiting all this time already.

"I have an idea," I said, pulling out of the hug. "We'll wait for Cho to contact you or visit you again. Then you can tell her the truth. If she doesn't come back after a while, you can send her a letter to her house and she'll read it whenever she's at home."

Harry looked like he was thinking about it, unsure if that was a good idea or not, but finally, he nodded in agreement. "I guess that's all we can do," he sighed. "I just hope it won't be too long a wait."

"Me, too, Harry. Me, too."

-o-o-o-

"Gin Gin, wake up!"

I groaned, and sat up as Jenny shook my arms. It was August 12th, the day after my seventeenth birthday. Jenny had slept over for the night, but it wasn't as great as I thought it would be. The whole time, she was talking about Harry and I. She loved knowing that she was right about my feelings for him. "When you two get together, you can thank me," she had told me. It was true though. If she had never told me that she was giving advice to Harry, he probably wouldn't have admitted his feelings for me and I might not have, either.

"What time is it?" I groaned, lying back down on my bed.

"8:56," Jenny stated, looking at the clock on my bedside table, and then saw me start to close my eyes. She grabbed her pillow and hit my arm with it.

"Ow! What was that for?" I hissed, rubbing my arm. "Why do I have to wake up? It's not even nine yet."

"I woke up a while ago and I was lonely," she pouted playfully and sat down on my bed beside me.

"Well you could've given me a few more minutes," I complained and rubbed my eyes. I was so tired. Jenny kept me up really late that night and I was too tired to even move now. I just wanted to stay in bed for the rest of the day and not do anything else.

"We should go visit Harry," she said, nudging my arm and raising her eyebrows.

"You're unbelievable," I groaned, pulling the blanket over myself to hide.

"So you don't want to see Harry?"

I sighed and got out of bed. "Fine, just let me wake up first."

The two of us got dressed and Jenny packed all of her things so she could go home after we went to Harry's house. What was she thinking? We couldn't just invite ourselves over when he wasn't expecting it. I had to admit that I did want to see Harry. I wondered when Cho would say something to Harry again. Nothing bad could've happened to her or he would've seen it in the newspaper. Once we were ready, we apparated in front of Grimmauld Place. When Harry got a job in the Auror office at the Ministry, he decided to move out of the Burrow, much to my mum's discontent, and moved into Sirius's old house. We walked up to the door and Jenny knocked on it twice. We waited a few moments, and then Harry opened the door.

"Hi, Harry," Jenny smiled. "Sorry if this was short notice, but Ginny wanted to see-" I cut her off by elbowing her in the arm.

"We _both_ wanted to stop by," I said and then continued quickly, "but if you're busy we can come by later."

"No it's fine," assured Harry, smiling. "I always like to see you guys. You can come in if you want." He moved aside, letting Jenny and I walk inside as he closed the door.

"I love this place," said Jenny, sitting down in an armchair. "You're so lucky that you don't have to live with anyone else, Harry."

He chuckled and replied, "I guess, but it does get lonely around here sometimes." He sat down on the couch as Jenny winked at me. I would've groaned if Harry hadn't been there. I sat down on the same couch as him, just as there was a knock on the door.

"Ooh! I'll get it!" Jenny exclaimed. Before either one of us could say anything, she had already rushed out of the room to the door. Harry chuckled, shaking his head, as if Jenny was one of those kids you laugh at for being cute.

"What's so funny?" I asked and couldn't help but smile seeing him laugh.

"I don't know why she got the door," he laughed. "I mean, it's my house." I laughed with him for a moment, and then stopped.

"Who do you think it is?"

"Maybe we should go look," he suggested. Nice job, Ginny. You blew your chance at being alone with Harry. Then again, it's not like I could've done much. He still had a girlfriend after all. I wanted to sigh, but I followed Harry out into the slim hallway.

"Um, yeah," I could hear Jenny's voice saying. "Harry has to tell you something. He's pretty upset."

"Why?" I knew that second voice right away- Cho. I had too many emotions bouncing around in my head: anger because she might've been ignoring Harry, jealousy because she was still his girlfriend and sadness because she was just there.

"Harry!" Cho exclaimed, pushing past Jenny to get to him. I was far behind him and made a run for the stairs. I didn't know what the hell I was even doing, but Jenny soon joined me at the top of the stairs. Thankfully, Harry or Cho couldn't see us because of the way the staircase spiraled.

"Ooh! Are we-"

I covered Jenny's mouth with my hand and whispered, "No, we are not spying!"

She took my hand off her mouth and raised one of her eyebrows. "Then why are we whispering, hm?"

I scowled and she said, "Shh!" pointing her finger down the stairs.

"I just want to know why you haven't talked to me or answered my letters for weeks," Harry said with a tone of sadness and anger.

"I got a job," Cho said. "I've just been busy lately." Without even being down there, I could hear a lie in every word she said.

"Well you could've told me that," Harry pointed out, raising his voice. "I would've understood."

"I'm sorry Harry," she said plainly as if none of this was a big deal to her.

"It's fine," he replied, trying to sound calm. "I just want to tell you that while you were gone, I fell in love with someone else, and I can't be sorry for that. I just think-" he paused for a moment, gathering his words. "I'm breaking up with you Cho."

"Oh, okay."

Oh, okay? That's all she had to say when she was just dumped. From up here, I couldn't see any emotion on her face and it didn't even look like she was hiding pain. She was just fine. It's like she never had feelings for him at all. She was letting him go that easy, but Harry's face showed nothing but relief and maybe shock. Cho left the house, and disapparated. Jenny ran downstairs and I followed her into the living room where Harry was now sitting.

"How did it go?" she asked.

Harry's face looked blank, and then after a few moments, he laughed. "Oh, come on! I know you guys were listening the whole time!"

We both laughed with him, and when we all stopped, I spoke up, sitting down on the couch with Harry again.

"Are you okay, though?" Even if he didn't like her anymore, Cho's response to the break up must've been a shock to him. I mean, she used to be crazy for Harry and now she just looked like she couldn't care less.

"I'm fine," Harry said, smiling at me. "I'm glad I got it over with."

I smiled back at him. I was glad, too. Maybe Harry and I could be together now. I knew it's what we both wanted. Even if I had to wait a while, I would. He just broke up with Cho after all. That didn't mean he was mine right away. I hadn't even paid attention to the fact that Harry and I were still smiling at each other until Jenny cleared her throat.

"Well," she began, waiting for us to turn to her until continuing, "I better get back home before my mum wonders where I am. Thanks for letting us come by, Harry," she smiled at him then pulled me into a hug. "And thanks for letting me stay for the night, Gin Gin. It was fun."

"No problem," I smiled, hugging her back. "I had fun, too."

Harry stood up and said, "It was nice to see you, Jenny." He led her out into the hallway, leaving me alone in the living room. I remained quiet. I thought I could hear Jenny whisper harshly, "Get a move on, will you?" followed by a complaining sigh from Harry. After a few moments, I no longer heard my best friend and Harry returned to the living room. The two of us didn't say anything for a while. The silence was too awkward. I felt rude just sitting there, so I decided I should probably just go home.

"Well, I better head home, too."

"Oh, okay…," Harry said, looking disappointed for a moment, and then his face suddenly lit up. "How about I take you home, then?" I couldn't say no to that. I didn't even want to leave, but it was too late now.

"Sure, Harry," I smiled and we both went outside. I reached out for his hand, assuming that we were going to apparate to the Burrow, but I turned to look at him and he was holding his broomstick, with a mischievous smile.

"I was thinking I could fly you home," he said, keeping the playful look on his face as he mounted his broom.

"Just don't go too fast," I replied, smirking, and got on the broom behind him.

"Well that could be hard," he teased and took off before I had any second thoughts. I wrapped my arms around his waist so I wouldn't fall. Touching him like this sent shivers down my spine. I loved it. I wanted to always stay like this and forget anything else that mattered because right now, this was all that mattered.

"Wanna go faster?" Harry challenged, turning his head around to see me.

"Bring it on," I smiled wickedly at him as he turned to face forward again. He leaned forward, making the broom fly faster. I leaned forward, too, and tightened my hold around his waist. I could see the corner of Harry's mouth turn up into a smile as he went even faster. My hair flew straight back behind me and I could feel my teeth vibrating when the wind blew in my face. I tried to ask him to slow down, but I could barely open my mouth. The wind continued to sweep across my face, but finally, I managed to speak up.

"Harry…," was all I could say, but then I continued, "..can...you..slow…down…"

Almost immediately, he brought the broom back to the speed we started at and he turned around, smiling at me. "Anything else, Gin Gin?"

"You'll do anything, right?" I asked, smiling to myself.

"Yes, anything," he replied without turning around to look at me.

"Kiss me."

I said it without even thinking, but I wanted that more than anything right now. I just couldn't wait any longer. I wanted to feel his lips on mine again. I wanted to feel that happiness all over again. I waited for a response, but Harry turned his head around slowly, looking into my eyes, and then kissed my lips. I kissed him back, smiling on his lips. I forgot how much I loved this feeling. I felt butterflies in my stomach as my heart beat faster. I could feel him smiling through the kiss, too. This was what had been missing. Harry's touch made me feel like I was on fire. I felt more alive. I never wanted this to end, but he pulled away slowly.

"I love you, Ginny."

"And I love you, Harry."

He smiled at those words and leaned in to kiss me again, but this time it was harder. I kissed him back passionately. My heart was racing as his lips moved with mine in perfect rhythm. This was magic; not wands, potions, spells, or even flying. But kissing Harry was pure magic. The sensation was amazing, like I could stay in this moment forever and forget everything else. I let out a moan as he started to kiss down the front of my neck. Suddenly, he pulled away, much to my disappointment.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he smirked. "You didn't ask me to do that, did you?"

I rolled my eyes then pointed ahead of us. "I don't believe anyone is flying the broom."

"Oh, I guess you're right," he admitted, taking one last look at me, and then turning around to bring the broom back into control.


	5. Endless Night

**AN: I made a mistake with Ginny's birthday. This takes place after Hogwarts so she's supposed to be 18 now, not 17. Thanks for your reviews, guys! I really appreciate them! :) **

ENDLESS NIGHT

I loved this night too much for it to end. I didn't want Harry to take me home. I wanted to stay here with him and never have to anywhere else. I should've been cold, flying through the sky at night, but having my arms around his waist kept me warm. It's a good thing he was focusing on flying because all I could do was stare at him. The taste of his lips lingered on my mouth and I didn't want it to go away. I wanted to kiss him again before the feeling was gone. Finally, I just couldn't take it anymore.

"Harry," I said and he turned his head to look at me. "I don't want to go home yet."

He smiled at me and replied, "I'm glad you said that. I know where we can go."

"Where?"

"The Forbidden Forest," he answered.

I smiled at that answer and re-adjusted my hold around his waist. We kept flying until the tops of the trees in the Forbidden Forest were seen. I tightened my hold around Harry as I felt the broomstick getting lower to the ground. He waited for me to dismount before he got off the broom himself, and then he leaned it against one of the tall, wide trees. My pulse became faster as he walked over to me and wrapped his arms around my waist, smiling. I smiled, too as he leaned in to kiss me. Before he could, I pulled away.

"You'll have to catch me first," I teased, and then ran off before I could see his reaction.

"Wait! Ginny, that's not fair!"

I smirked, hearing him protest and start to run after me. My heart was racing faster than my legs were. This night was just too perfect. I was expecting to wake up from it any second now, but it was real. Just then, I realized I couldn't hear Harry's footsteps anymore.

"Harry?" I called out softly. He wouldn't really leave me here all alone, would he?

Suddenly, arms wrapped around my waist. I turned around, struggling to get free.

"I win," Harry declared. "Can I get that kiss now?"

"Of course." I smiled and leaned in to kiss him passionately on the lips. He kissed me back, just as passionate. I wrapped my arms around him, getting as close as I could to him. I felt him smile through the kiss. My body was slowly losing all feeling. I could feel every curve and arc on the front of his body against mine. Without even thinking, I slid my tongue across his lips, begging for an entrance that he immediately responded to. I brushed my tongue across his. After we wrestled with each others' tongues, he pulled away slowly, but kissed from my cheek down to my neck, making me become numb with every movement. I let out a moan, and he pulled away again with the biggest smile on his face.

"I want to ask you something, Ginny."

"What is it?" I asked, a little disappointed that he pulled away.

"Will you-" he began, leaning in to kiss me again. "- be my girlfriend?" he asked kissing me fervently.

"Yes," I just barely breathed out in between kisses.

I could feel him smile again as he kissed me harder. "I love you."

"I love you, too," I said kissing him as hard as I could, and then pulling him closer to me. We lay down on the ground beside each other and just stayed there for a while, talking to each other and stealing kisses. I didn't want this to night to end. Even after all the time we spent there, I wasn't ready to go home. So, when Harry got up to grab the broomstick, I said, "I don't want to go home tonight."

"Then where do you want to go?" he asked, taking my hand, as we both mounted the broom. I thought about it for a moment. Where could we go? We could always go back to Harry's house, but I wasn't sure if I should suggest that.

"I have an idea," Harry said, smiling.

"What is it?"

"The Room of Requirement," he answered, looking at me, waiting for my reaction.

I smiled and said, "That's a great idea, Harry." He smiled, too, letting go of my hand so he could fly the broom. We flew in complete silence. I breathed in the nighttime breeze as I tightened my hold around Harry's waist, and then I yawned.

"I'm tired," I confessed, resting my head on his back. I could've fallen asleep right at that moment if I hadn't been on the back of a broomstick.

"Well, you can sleep when we get there," he said. I looked up to see Hogwarts right ahead of us. As tired as I was, I didn't want to fall asleep tonight or ever again. I shivered as the wind blew chills down my spine, and then I closed my eyes. It seemed like only a second later that Harry and I were on the ground. I got off the broom, feeling a little more awake now that I could stand up. I looked up at the castle. I hadn't been to Hogwarts in over a year now. I remembered everything instantly. There were so many good memories, as well as bad ones. This was where Harry and I had our very first kiss, but it was also the place where I lost one of my brothers. Every time I thought about that night, I wanted to break down into tears, but I never did. Besides the battle, I remember Hogwarts as the place where I grew up. It was like a second home that I had to say goodbye to. I glanced over at Harry, who looked deep in thought, looking up at the castle, too.

"We're going to have to use the cloak," Harry said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his invisibility cloak. "Filch is still here in the summer."

"Right," I said, smirking. "We don't want to get a detention when we don't even go to this school anymore."

Harry's face turned slightly pink at my sarcastic comment, realizing I was right. What's the worst that could happen? We weren't students here anymore so Filch couldn't really do anything to punish us if we got caught. I giggled and pecked him on the lips.

"Come on. Let's go," I said, taking the cloak from him. "You're right. We should probably still use this." He put the cloak over the two of us and we entered the castle. It felt like forever since I had been here, but I could never forget where each and every place was. Together, we silently walked up the many flights of stairs to the seventh floor, where the Room of Requirement was. There was no sign of Filch or his irritating cat, Mrs. Norris. It was really late; he must've been asleep by now. When we finally reached just the place we were looking for, Harry removed the cloak, put it back into his pocket, and then looked at the blank wall that concealed the Room of Requirement. I watched him as the doors opened, wondering what he had thought about to reveal the entrance. But I didn't have to think about it for long.

I walked into the room with him, looking around. It looked somewhat similar to the living room at home, but a lot bigger. There was a massive fireplace on the far side of the room with a couch right in front of it. Candles were illuminated all around, giving off a warm feeling. The room looked so welcoming, I almost thought about just staying here forever. I didn't need anything else.

"So," Harry began. "Do you like it?"

I nodded my head, smiling. "I love it, Harry. It's perfect."

"That's what I was hoping for," he smiled, wrapping his arms around me. I was staring straight into his gentle green eyes and getting lost as I was doing it. In truth, I had never seen anything as beautiful as what I was looking at right now. They were like two lonely planets in a completely different universe. Then, I could no longer see them as he leaned in to kiss me. Every kiss was like the first one all over again. All of my thoughts vanished completely from my mind when I kissed him back, fiercely. His fingers were running through my hair and his other hand was slowly roaming down my back, giving me more chills than the wind outside. I smiled against his lips, wrapping my arms around his waist. I could kiss him every second of my life and never get tired of it. All the sudden, a jolt of electricity came through my whole body. Harry's hands had wandered to the end of my shirt, and were slowly starting to lift it off.

"Harry," I began cautiously. "What are you doing?"


	6. The Shadow in the Alleyway

**AN: Hey guys! Sorry for not updating these past few months. I was kind of busy over the summer, but I'll try to be better about updating. I've been working on this chapter for weeks now. Keep reading, it will get more interesting, I promise. :)**

THE SHADOW IN THE ALLEYWAY

I woke up the next morning, completely forgetting how I ended up here asleep in Harry's arms. Then I remembered everything the next second. I didn't want to go home last night so Harry took me here. Last night was unforgettable. I thought it would never end because I loved it too much. Something was instantly re-introduced into my mind. Last night, Harry tried to remove my shirt. If I hadn't said anything, then he probably wouldn't have stopped. I didn't want to reflect on that moment anymore because I didn't know what to think of it. But more importantly, I didn't know what Harry thought of it. I smiled, watching him sleep, and ran my fingers through his black, disarrayed hair. He was so cute when he was sleeping. I wanted to kiss him, but at the same time I didn't want to wake him up. I cupped his face with my hands and stroked his cheek with my finger. As if I triggered his movement, he slowly opened his eyes and looked at me. I smiled at him, still caressing his cheek. He smiled back at me and placed his hand over mine. I could tell by the smile on his face that he loved my touch.

"Good morning," I said, trying to sound casual.

"Good morning, Gin Gin," he pulled me to him and kissed me softly on the lips.

I smiled after he pulled away. "I love you."

"I love you, too," he replied, smiling, and then kissed me again.

I nestled my face into his neck and wrapped my arms around him. I knew I was going to hate it when I had to go home. I didn't want to leave Harry- not now and not ever. I let out a sigh of relief as he rubbed my back.

"Maybe I should take you home," Harry suggested, still rubbing my back gently. "Your family's probably wondering where you are."

I sat up rapidly. Shit! Mum must've been worried out of her mind about me. Everyone would be wondering where I was. I hadn't even thought about everyone else worrying about me at home. I was too busy thinking about Harry and nothing else. I groaned and got off the couch.

"I guess I should go home now," I sighed.

Harry seemed to understand that I didn't want to leave because he smiled and came up behind me, slipping his arms around my waist. His lips were on my neck as he whispered, "I don't want you to leave either, Gin Gin." I shivered, feeling his breath on my neck. He was making this so much harder, and I knew he meant for it to be that way. His low voice on my skin was telling me not to leave him. But instead of telling him to stop, I turned around, pulled his face to mine, and kissed him passionately. I felt his hands on my hips, wrapping my arms around his neck, as he kissed me back. But it ended a thousand seconds too quick.

"Come on," Harry smirked. "We should get you home now."

I sighed again, as he took out the invisibility cloak. Covered in the cloak, we left the Room of Requirement and eventually the castle, without a sign of Filch anywhere. Harry flew me home on the broom and it was much faster than I wanted it to be. Last night was so perfect, but now it was over. When he brought the broom to my window, I almost refused to get off, but he eventually encouraged me. Once I was in my room, he smiled at me, still on his broomstick. I would've smiled too if I wasn't so upset about being home, so I looked down instead. But only a second later, Harry lifted my head up again and kissed me.

"We'll see each other again soon," he said reassuringly. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Harry," I replied, taking his hand and not wanting to let go, "So much."

He smiled and kissed me again one last time before he took off again. I smiled, watching him leave before I lay down on my bed. I already couldn't wait to see him again and I still felt like he was right here with me. Looking at my clock, I observed that it wasn't even 7:30. It's a good thing that I got home when I did because Mum would still be asleep. I yawned and pulled the covers on. I realized that I probably didn't even get five hours of sleep last night. So, I closed my eyes, my last thought being Harry before I fell asleep.

-o-o-o-

I looked out my window and saw the leaves falling. It seemed like just yesterday I was enjoying summer, but now it was over. Mum had wondered why I was sleeping in my bed so early when I was out that night with Harry, but Jenny covered for me. She told Mum that I was at her house for the night and I had to come back early because she had to visit family. Of course Mum believed the whole thing, but I did feel bad lying to her. If she knew that I spent the night with Harry then I would've been asked questions until my voice stopped working, and then there was Dad. If any of my parents couldn't know no matter what it would be my dad. I'm his only daughter so he's obviously really protective. By now, everyone knew about me and Harry. Mum seemed to be really happy about it. Dad did too, but I think he was just glad that I had a boyfriend he got to see almost every day.

I headed downstairs to the kitchen to see the usual: Mom cooking, Ron eating, and Dad reading the newspaper. I sat down across from Ron and took some food for myself, not that there was much left.

"Good morning, dear," Dad said looking up from today's _Daily Prophet._ I finished chewing and swallowing before I replied. "Hey, Dad." He smiled and resumed reading. The front of the paper read 'Harry Potter Biography Released!' _Great_, I thought. I know the last thing Harry wanted was an 800 page book written about his life. My thoughts wandered to possible things Harry could be doing right now. Maybe he was reading the front cover of the _Prophet_ as well, or possibly thinking about me too? I didn't see why any of this mattered so I woke up from Daydream-Land.

"Well, I gotta go to work," Ron said, getting up from his chair.

I smiled. "Have fun, Won Won." I really couldn't resist calling him that. He scowled and Mum shook her head then kissed Ron on the cheek.

"Have a good day, dear," she said with a smile and he nodded then head out the door after saying goodbye to Dad. I watched him leave then looked back at the table. The mail was strewn across carelessly as if Ron purposely messed it up. My eyes fell upon a letter with my name printed in neat, black ink. Hermione. I knew her penmanship anywhere. I took the letter and opened it.

"Now, who is that from?" Mum asked and Dad put the newspaper down.

"Hermione," I replied unfolding the parchment and started reading it to myself.

_Dear Ginger,_

_That's my new nickname for you. I hope you like it. Anyway, we haven't really talked or hung out in a while. I was wondering if you wanted to come by my house some time. I need some help planning the wedding. You're the maid of honor after all. It wouldn't be possible without you. I hope I can see you soon!_

_From,_

_Hermione_

"What does it say, dear?" Mum asked curiously, looking at me as I finished reading the letter. I smiled. Hermione was right; we hadn't really talked since my birthday. It would be nice to see her again. I wanted to help her with the wedding. After a few seconds, I realized Mum had asked me a question.

"Oh, she just wants to hang out some time," I said folding up the letter again and looking up at Mum. She smiled and nodded.

"That would be nice for the two of you," she said and Dad nodded in agreement. I know he wanted me to spend time with other people besides Harry. I saw him pretty much 24/7, which made Dad a little uncomfortable. It could have been worse. My boyfriend could've not been Harry.

"Yeah," I said with a smile. "Well, I'm going to reply to her letter."

"Alright, dear," Mum said as I started walking back up to my room. I thought about Hermione's letter. I could tell she was really excited to get married to Ron. He felt the same, even if he didn't clearly show it all the time. They were both happier than anyone else in the world right now. I thought about me and Harry's future. _Could we make it as far as they did?_ Who knows what would lie ahead.

-o-o-o-

"How about Frizzle?" I asked with a grin. Hermione laughed. It was nice to be able to talk to her again. Next to Jenny, she was my best friend. It was a few days after I returned her letter and we met up in Hogsmeade. We were sitting in the Three Broomsticks talking about wedding details. Really, all I could think about was the last time I was here. I could sit here telling you that my older brother had nearly killed me, and it was no accident. Sure, he was drunk, but not even that would ever make me believe he would do such a thing. Now Hermione and I were coming up with a nickname I could give her. I wanted it to be about her hair, as it was for my nickname. Hermione had bushy curls that frizzed in a lot of humidity. So, that gave me the idea for Frizzle. I thought it was cute, and I could tell Hermione thought the same thing.

"I love it!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "It really fits me well." I nodded in agreement and laughed with her as we finished our drinks.

"So, what should we do now?" I asked then added, "Frizzle."

"I don't know, Ginger," Hermione replied with a smile. "Hmm…" she said looking around as if she was trying to gather an idea with her surroundings. I suddenly missed Harry. We were sitting at the same table that he and I sat at on my birthday. He was probably at work now. I almost sighed, and then remembered that Hermione was here.

"Let's take a walk," she suggested and I smiled.

"Great idea!"

We left The Three Broomsticks and started walking down the street, past all the shops. There weren't as many people here as there were in the summer, as usual. Only a few people, who possibly just lived in apartments above the stores, were lurking. As Hermione and I wandered past an alleyway between two shops, I saw a young ginger-haired girl sitting in the shadows. I grabbed Hermione's arm, so she stopped walking and turned to look at me.

"What's wrong Ginny?" she asked with a worried tone in her voice.

"Do you see the girl sitting over there?" I whispered and pointed her out with my eyes. Hermione followed my gaze, seeing the girl too and her eyes went wide.

"Oh my, God!" she whispered loudly. "Do you think she's here all alone?"

I shrugged, not really knowing how to answer that, so I nudged her with my elbow and walked slowly over to the girl. Hermione followed me, but slowly, and looked unsure about all of this. The young girl looked up as we came over to her. I almost gasped at the sight of her. The poor thing looked like she hadn't eaten in days, much less anything. Her face was covered in stains of dirt or maybe even blood. She looked to be about ten or eleven years old. She looked down shyly, probably because of the obviously shocked look on Hermione's face. She clearly wasn't hiding it as well as I was. I slowly held out my hand for the girl.

"I'm Ginny," I said softly, not wanting to scare her, and she looked back up at me. She looked at my hand as if thinking about whether she can trust me or not, and then finally shook it. "I won't hurt you." I said, helping her up.

"I'm Ellie," the girl said, looking at me, and then at Hermione, who smiled softly.

"I'm Hermione," she said, holding out her hand, and Ellie shook it. She looked so familiar for some reason that I couldn't put my finger on. She reminded me of myself when I was about her age, and that's not only because of the red hair. I was shy like her at eleven, but then again that was only around Harry. Ellie must've been even more reserved than I was.

"If you don't mind me asking," Hermione began. "What happened to you?"

At that, Ellie looked down. Even not hearing her answer, I knew Ellie ought to have gone through a lot before meeting us. She looked completely uncared for. That is, if she was cared for at all. Where were her parents? Did they even know about this? As much as I wanted the response to Hermione's question, I knew there was little to none chance Ellie would tell us what was going on. We just met her after all. She probably doesn't know who to trust. After what seemed like hours, she answered.

"He's after me."

Hermione and I looked at each other, and then I looked back at Ellie. "Who's 'he?'" I don't know why I asked. It didn't really matter who was after her. All that mattered was that she was protected and whoever this 'he' was wouldn't hurt her again. Ellie looked down. Maybe she didn't even know this guy's name. So, I let the question go and came up with a new one. "Where are your parents?" The second after I asked that I wish I could've taken it back. When I asked that question, I saw the sadness take over Ellie's big brown eyes. This must've been a touchy subject.

"They're gone," she said simply, and then looked down. I saw the tears build up and she looked like she was trying to fight the temptation to cry. I kneeled down beside her, putting my hand on her shoulder.

"I'll take care of you," I said before I even thought about it. Apparently, there was no one looking after her so someone ought to do it, and I didn't want to wait around for whoever this 'he' was to take her first. It was as if I prompted the next unfortunate event because a tall shadow was revealed on the brick wall. I turned around to see Hermione's uneasy look. I looked next to the source of the shadow: a tall man with a long dark coat and fedora hat, hiding his dimmed face smiled at us with ugly, rotten teeth.

"Hello Ellie," the man said. His voice was low and chilling, the kind of voice that makes you shiver at the sound of it. Ellie closed her eyes and pushed herself closer to the wall in fear. I instinctively stood in front of her, glaring at the man.

"Leave her alone," I hissed and he smiled his horrid, sharp-toothed smile. I wasn't even sure if this guy was 100% human.

"I'm not planning on it," the man returned, and pushed me aside a split second later, lunging at Ellie.

Hermione screamed, "No!"

I pushed myself up back on to my feet, getting pretty furious. Without a second thought I punched the man hard in the stomach, and he doubled over in pain as Hermione got over to Ellie to comfort her.

"You stay out of this, bitch!" the man screeched, standing up again and swiped a large hand at my face, just missing it as I turned my head away. I saw nothing but razor-sharp nails before I mindlessly shut my eyes. I drew my wand, and at the same time, he procured a knife. I felt my eyes widen. _Who was this guy anyway?_ The man ran at me with a murderous look on his face. I was about to shoot a spell, but then Ellie came between us, facing away from me.

"Don't touch her!" she screamed, which surprised me, and it looked like it surprised Hermione and the man as well, but then he smiled.

"Is this your sister?" he asked suspiciously looking from Ellie to me. The scary thing was that I couldn't see his face. It was like he didn't even have one under his old, dusty hat.

"Does it matter?" I hissed, pushing Ellie behind me. Hermione was biting her lip looking worried, but took out her wand as well. I shot a spell at the man, but he moved out of the way just in time.

"Ginny!" Hermione cried as if I did something wrong, but I wasn't even close to being done with this guy. I never wanted him to hurt Ellie again. Instead of firing another spell, I realized that I shouldn't attract attention and possibly get locked up in Azkaban.

"Who are you anyway?"

The man smiled, probably waiting for that question the moment he arrived. "I'm your worst nightmare." I might have laughed right then if we weren't all in danger. This guy really thought he was so tough.

"Oh, really?" I challenged, hiding the amused look on my face, but I think he could tell I was stifling a laugh because he ran over to me. I felt the wind get knocked out of me as he pushed me to the ground holding his knife over my head.

_This is it,_ I thought.

But it wasn't.

"What is going on?"

The man instantly picked himself up and ran away. I looked up at Aberforth Dumbledore. We had a lot of explaining to do. Hermione helped me up and Ellie hugged me. I was startled at first, but I wrapped my arms around her small, lean body.

"Will someone tell me what is going on here?" demanded Aberforth.

I sighed and Ellie pulled away from the hug, still looking up at me. Hermione informed him of everything that happened. He looked stunned about the whole thing and said that he would let the Aurors know about the man so he could get locked up right away. Aberforth returned to the Hog's Head and Ellie and I said goodbye to Hermione, so it was just me and her left.

"So, what would you like to do?"

Ellie looked down shyly. "Do I…"

"Do you what?" I asked, and then added, "You can tell me anything, you know."

She smiled up at me. "Do I have a dad?"

I didn't know what to think of that question. Harry and I weren't married, but he would definitely count as Ellie's father if I was considered her mother. Now that I thought of it, I should take her to meet her new "father."

"Yes, Ellie, you do." I smiled and took her hand in mine. Her face lit up as if these were the words she had wanted to hear all day. "I'll take you to meet him if you'd like to."

"Yes please! Yes!" Ellie exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Together, we apparated to Harry's house and I recited the password, revealing the hidden doorway. I took a glance at Ellie, Her eyes widened as the walls moved apart.

"Wow!"

I laughed. "I know. It's kind of cool," I admitted and knocked on the door.

"Do you think he'll like me?" Ellie asked.

"Of course he will. Harry is the nicest guy I know and I'm not just saying that because he's my boyfriend," I replied with a laugh and Ellie giggled as the door opened. Harry smiled, looking at me, and then saw Ellie, appearing confused now.

"Hi Harry," I said pulling him into a hug. At another time I would've kissed him, but I didn't want to make Ellie feel uncomfortable.

"Hey, Gin Gin," Harry grinned and pulled away. "So who is this?"

Ellie looked down as I replied, "Harry, this is Ellie, my new adopted daughter. Ellie this is my boyfriend, Harry." Harry seemed surprised at the mention of the word _daughter_, but he shook Ellie's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Ellie," he said and she lifted her head up, smiling timidly.

"Nice to meet you, too."

"Well, why don't you both come in," Harry said moving aside so that Ellie and I could enter. For a moment, we all just exchanged awkward smiles, and then Ellie's stomach growled.

"Ellie, are you hungry?" Harry asked.

"Well…a little," she admitted, looking down. I almost gasped. I didn't even want to wonder when the last time she ate was. I nudged Harry in the arm, but he already knew what to do.

"You can take anything you want in the kitchen," he offered with a warm smile.

Ellie looked surprised, most likely not expecting such courtesy. "Anything?"

"Anything," Harry repeated, still smiling. Ellie grinned and headed toward the kitchen. I started to follow her, but Harry held me back.

"Ginny, I have to ask you something."

"What is it, Harry?" I asked a little worried. Harry got down on one knee, pulling out a little box and I could feel my heart nearly bursting out of my chest as he said the words I had dreamed of for nearly ten years.

"Will you marry me?"


	7. A Long Lost Foe

A LONG LOST FOE

**I'm soooo sorry for the long wait, guys! I've been really busy with school this year. I miss writing this story and I'll try to be better at updating. So, here it is. I hope you enjoy! :)**

I was utterly speechless. That was the last thing I thought would come out of Harry's mouth at that moment, but I certainly wasn't complaining. In fact, I was overjoyed. It all seemed so surreal, like none of it was even happening. I had to be dreaming. I envisioned this moment lots of times in my head, but none of them were as great as this.

Harry was looking at me, awaiting me answer anxiously. I wouldn't make him wait any longer, so without another thought, I attacked him with a tight hug and just about screamed, "Yes!"

"Yes," Harry repeated my response as if it was hard for him to register. "You said yes!"

I could feel his arms relax around me, no longer having to be nervous. He kissed me slowly and tenderly. I brought my arms around his neck, pulling him closer to me. There were no words for how I felt right now. I didn't care if I was only eighteen. That didn't matter. Harry and I had been through so much together, even when we were just friends. I could recall every moment that I shared with him, when it was just the two of us. I remembered those peaceful, calm afternoons by the Black Lake. The first of those was after he kissed me. I remembered how I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. I never thought that Harry would reciprocate my feelings for him, but here we stood. Only this time, I wasn't going to let him go no matter what.

I heard a giggle from behind me, bringing me back to reality. I pulled away from Harry and turned around to see Ellie looking at us with a wicked grin plastered on her face.

"Ellie…" I said, smiling awkwardly. This was a little humiliating, having your new adopted daughter watch her parents stuck to each other like glue. I definitely wouldn't want that to be my first memory in a new family. I felt my face slowly turn red. I knew Harry caught it as well because he was smirking at me. "We were just…"

"It's okay," she interrupted, still grinning and looking from me to Harry. "So, my parents are getting married?" she asked, excitedly. Of course she overheard that. I wasn't exactly keeping it quiet when I told Harry my answer.

"Yes, they are," Harry replied, grinning just as wide as she was. Ellie squealed with happiness and hugged as both.

"I'm so happy for you!" she exclaimed. I smiled, hugging her back. This felt nice, just the three of us together. I couldn't picture anything more perfect than this.

-o-o-o-

"So, which one do you like?" Hermione asked. To be honest, I never liked planning for these types of things. But the fact that this was my own wedding with the man of my dreams changed all of that. I observed the dresses hanging in front of me. Carefully, I took the long skirt of the dress that was the farthest to the right in my hands. It was white, like every other classic wedding gown, but it was simple and gorgeous. I knew that this had to be the one. I could already see myself wearing it, walking down the aisle.

"This is it," I say to her before removing the dress from the hangar. Hermione smiled, seeming to like my decision.

"It's lovely, Ginny," she said thoughtfully.

"Thanks," I smiled as we walked over to the counter, where the owner of the shop, Madam Malkin, was standing. I put the dress down gently, not wanting to ruin it before I even got the chance to wear it.

"Great choice. That's a very popular dress," she told me, offering me a kind smile to which I returned.

"I can see why. It's beautiful. Did you design it yourself?"

"Yes, it's an original. Thank you," she smiled and prepared the dress for me to take home. "That will be 10 galleons and 2 sickles, please."

I reached into my bag to take out my money, but Hermione stopped me.

"Ginny, the bride shouldn't have to buy her own wedding dress," she insisted as she took out her own pouch of coins.

I looked at her skeptically. "Hermione, you can't just-"

"I've got it, Ginny. It's fine," she smiled and placed the money on the table. Madam Malkin smiled graciously and handed me the dress. Feeling ashamed, Hermione and I left the store. I never liked people doing things for me, especially when it clearly should have been me doing it. It was _my_ wedding after all. I'm sure Hermione bought her own dress, so it seemed only fair that I should've bought my own.

Voicing my thoughts, I said, "You know you really didn't have to do that, Hermione."

She looked at me and laughed. "But I wanted to." Instead of protesting, I stayed silent. There was no point in getting into an argument about something that was already over and done with. All I could think about now was the wedding. I was never this nervous in my whole life about anything. Just anticipating the event created butterflies in my stomach, but at the same time, it was exhilarating. If I had all these emotions creeping up on me now, then I couldn't wait for the day of the wedding. I knew it would only get worse the closer it came.

Hermione appeared to have noticed my anxiety because she wore a look of understanding as she spoke. "Nervous, aren't you?"

All I could manage was a brusque nod of the head. What if Harry changed his mind? Maybe he was overthinking the whole thing and he would realize it just as we said our vows. I dismissed my thoughts before they completely immersed me. I was never this tense before, and believe me, that was saying a lot.

"You know you can tell me anything, Ginny," she reminded me.

I looked at her, knowing she was right. If anyone knew anything about this it was Hermione. Not only was she the smartest girl I knew, but she was getting married soon as well.

I sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just that this whole thing…What if he changes his mind?"

"He's not going to change his mind, Ginny. Harry isn't one of those guys and you should know that."

She was right again. No surprise there. Harry wouldn't do something like that so I let that thought pass away, leaving more room for the other hundreds of worries I had wandering through my head. "So, you're experiencing this to?"

"Absolutely," she assured me. "Ask any bride-to-be and they will say the exact same thing."

"I'd be pretty nervous if I was getting married to Ron," I laughed.

She laughed with me. "Well, it's pretty busy planning the wedding on my own. Ron puts in no effort whatsoever."

"Don't you have someone to help you?" I asked, then quickly recalled that her and Ron were having a private wedding. It was just going to be the two of them, which was very different from what Harry and me were planning ours to be.

"Well, my mom has been helping me some," she confessed. "But mostly it's been me and my fiancé when he feels like being not so careless."

I snorted with amusement. Ron was always lazy even when it came to the most vital things. He couldn't even get off his butt to help with the most important day of his life. To be honest, I wished that I could go to their wedding. I'm sure Hermione was putting a lot of work into it, so it seemed unfair that it was only the two of them to witness it.

"Speaking of Ron, I better go. We're supposed to be going on a date soon," Hermione said.

"Well, have fun with that," I laughed. "Thanks for the help with the dress, by the way."

"No problem, Ginger," she smiled and we said goodbye before she disapparated.

-o-o-o-

Harry and I were sitting under the stars without a care in the world. Well, besides everything that has been stuck in my head for the past few months. All this planning was starting to make me feel drowsier and it was all that I thought about now. Cake. Decorations. Flowers. Everything. It all was giving me one giant headache, but I guess you could say it would be worth it in the end. As I turned over to face Harry, I felt his lips on mine in an instant. I kissed him passionately, placing my hands on either side of his face, pulling him toward me. His hands slid down to my hips and the kiss lasted for several minutes. Reluctantly, I pulled away for air, but his lips wandered down to my neck. I watched him, smiling.

He let his lips linger on my collarbone for a little longer before saying, "I think we have everything planned, don't you?"

My skin was tingling as I felt his breath on my neck. He really had a way of making me forget everything. "Yes, I think so."

Harry smiled, his lips brushing my jawbone now. I knew he loved the effect he had on me. So now you know, Harry Potter is not the most modest person you will ever meet, but then again neither was I. It was my turn now. I sensed him pulling away when I began to kiss down the left side of his neck, slowly. I smiled against his skin. He was shaking when he went over the details for the wedding.

"So, Ron will be the best man, Jenny will be the maid of honor, Ellie will be the flower girl…" he trailed off when I found my way to his lips.

"I think everything's done, Harry," I said, wrapping my arms around him.

"I think so, too," he agreed and smiled down at me as I laid my head on his chest.

Everything was calm and quiet while we sat there in each other's arms. At least, that's what I thought. When I lifted my head back up, I noticed something on the other side of the clearing. Well not something, but someone. Squinting my eyes, I tried to get a better look. I could tell that he knew I was watching him because he hid behind one of the tall, oak tress at the edge of the woods.

"What's wrong, Gin Gin?" Harry asked, finally realizing what I was doing.

I kept my eyes on the tree for any sudden movements- or just any movement at all- but everything was still. He couldn't have left. I was watching him the whole time. Unless it was a wizard, of course. Then he could've easily disapparated. But for some reason, I felt like he was still there, watching us.

"Gin, you're starting to scare me. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, really," I replied, never taking my eyes off the tree.

"Ginny, look at me," Harry gently pulled my head toward his so that I was now facing him. And sure enough, that's all that had to happen. The unwanted visitor was running away quickly, but not quick enough. I had just enough time to catch a glimpse of his blonde hair before he vanished from sight and that's all I needed to see to know just who it was.

Malfoy.

**Well, that's it for this chapter. What do you guys think Malfoy was doing there? Spying? Just passing by? (I highly doubt that one.) Please review and tell me what you think! I hope you all enjoyed it! :) I'll try to update on the weekend, but no promises.**


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